Boy, 15, killed in shooting blocks from Simeon High School in Chatham

Sun-Times file

The teen was shot by someone in a black car in the 8300 block of South Holland Road, police say.

A 15-year-old boy was killed in a shooting Tuesday afternoon two blocks from Simeon High School in Chatham on the South Side.

The teen was shot around 2:40 p.m. by someone in a black car outside a business in the 8300 block of South Holland Road, Chicago police said.

The boy was struck in the chest and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said.

“We heard the sound and saw people running,” said an employee at a GameStop store near the shooting who declined to be named. “Kids were leaving school and then it happened.”

The manager of a Potbelly was pulling into the restaurant parking lot when she heard gunshots and saw the teen lying on the ground in front of a bank.

“I heard it but couldn’t see it. He was on the ground,” said the manager, who declined to provide her name.

She said many high school students walk down that street, and there were several children nearby at the time.

Police reported no arrest in the shooting.

The Chatham community area has seen 22 homicides so far this year, two more than the same time last year, according to Sun-Times data.

Chatham is one of the city’s 15th most violent community areas that have been prioritized by the city for increased anti-violence funding and community programs, although some of those areas have seen little increased funding.

The police district that covers Chatham has seen a 15% increase in murders over the same time last year, from 55 to 63, according to police statistics. Shootings have risen 28%, from 185 to 237, over the same period.

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